Blair's 'debt' to Sainsbury increases/FSA jury live/Welsh GM trial

"As Labour's largest benefactor Lord Sainsbury has been attacked both as a representative of Tony Blair's overreliance on plutocratic supporters and as someone who "purchased" influence - and a government job - to promote his own good causes, notably publicly funded research into genetically modified products.

"He and Mr Blair dismiss such charges, pointing to his family's record of philanthropy pre-dating New Labour. His Gatsby Foundation specialises in developing world, mental health and technical education issues."

Here's some of that philanthropy:

*Sainsbury gives £2 million a year to the Sainsbury Laboratory, which Lord Sainsbury helped found in 1987, of the John Innes Centre. The JIC focuses heavily on GM crop-related research and has had commercial tie ups with most of the major biotech coporations as well as with Sainsbury's biotech investment company Diatech.

*Diatech have registered a patent for a genetic sequence taken from the tobacco mosaic virus, considered essential for enhancing the development of protein in a GMO, which was developed at the John Innes Centre and is used in most GM foods worldwide.

*Since Sainsbury became Science Minister there has been a 300 per cent increase in the government grant to the Sainsbury Laboratory

*When Lord Sainsbury travelled to America in 1999, to research a report into Biotechnology, he was accompanied by members of the BioIndustry Association, a lobbying group for companies involved in GM food (the DTI helped pay their costs). His company, Diatech is a member of the BioIndustry Association and 8 days before he became Science Minister he loaned Diatech money to buy a £2 million office in Westminster.

*The Sainsbury Laboratory's public funding body the BBSRC has won an extra £50 million in funding since Sainsbury became Science Minister.

The Food Standards Agency continues its activities to independently [!!!!] assess people”šs views on GM food and how it relates to consumer choice with a three-day Citizens”š Jury starting on Friday 4 April 2003.

The jury will address the question: Å’Should GM Foods be available to buy in the UK?'

Following the entire proceedings, which will be broadcast live online here (except jury deliberations) from Friday 4 April.

Lord Sainsbury, the billionaire supermarket philanthropist turned unpaid science minister in Tony Blair's government, has given Labour a record GBP2.5m donation, the party revealed last night.

Though Labour's biggest ever, the donation is still only half the GBP5m cheques given to the Conservatives by Paul Getty and the spread-betting tycoon, Stuart Wheeler, since 1997.

It is also dwarfed by Labour's ?6m overdraft and its ?4.5m mortgage on the party's Westminster HQ. But ?2.5m exceeds the ?1.86m Labour is recorded as receiving from all sources in the fourth quarter of 2002.

Coming as several major unions are cutting or threatening to cut their donations to Labour - and some grassroots activists have torn up their party cards over the Iraq war - Lord Sainsbury's largesse is a mixed blessing for party HQ.

It is his biggest donor cheque, though Lord Sainsbury gave GBP2m in 2001 - twice - and a similar sum in 1999, as well as unspecified amounts before 1997 when such donations were recorded as "over GBP5,000."

In a statement designed to be even-handed towards poorer supporters, David Triesman, Labour's general secretary, said: "We are grateful to everyone who contributes whatever they can to the Labour party. This very generous donation is fantastic news."

Lord Sainsbury, who as David Sainsbury supported the defunct SDP, adopted an understated tone. "In our democracy political parties have to raise funds to campaign and put policies to the electorate, and as a proud supporter of the Labour party, I am happy... to make a contribution to its ongoing work," he said.

As Labour's largest benefactor Lord Sainsbury has been attacked both as a representative of Tony Blair's overreliance on plutocratic supporters and as someone who "purchased" influence - and a government job - to promote his own good causes, notably publicly funded research into genetically modified products.

He and Mr Blair dismiss such charges, pointing to his family's record of philanthropy pre-dating New Labour. His Gatsby Foundation specialises in developing world, mental health and technical education issues. [and big time: GM crops!]

Such is Lord Sainsbury's wealth that he is said to make GBP35m a year from bank interest alone, though Gordon Brown's low interest rates may have reduced that figure.

Labour officials argue that they have suffered for their honesty in forcing parties to become more transparent about their funding in the wake of "sleaze" problems in the John Major years.

The latest figures published by the electoral commission, the Labour-created watchdog, show the Tories ahead with GBP1.9m in the last quarter, ironically GBP1m of it coming via increased state aid to opposition parties - a Labour policy deplored by many Tories.

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3.Women deny wrecking GM crop

BBC news online http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2903145.stm

Two women accused of sabotaging genetically-modified crops in north Wales have denied causing the damage.

Yvonne Davies, from Carmarthen and Rowan Tilly, from Brighton, both aged 45, deny damaging a crop of GM maize at a field in Sealand, Flintshire, during a protest in July 2001.

The defendants were among about 100 protesters at Birchenfield Farm, which was playing host to the crop trial.

Farmer John Cottle was paid GBP1,000 for growing the crop on his land in a trial conducted under EU directives.

The accused women are expected to claim they had a lawful excuse for their actions - both previously said they were defending the environment and it was a case of public interest.

Opening the case at Mold Crown Court, barrister Matthew Dunford said: "Make no mistake about it, whatever the wishes of the defendants may be, this case is not about whether genetically modified crops are desirable.

"GM crops are not on trial in this court today. That is not the question that you are being asked to consider."

He said it was the prosecution's case that the women had taken the law into their own hands.

The defendants have accepted the prosecution evidence against them and the jury has been told the only issue is to determine whether the defendants had a lawful excuse for their actions.

The court heard protesters went to the farm following a meeting at Connah's Quay, and asked farmer John Cottle if he would pull up the crop, but he refused.

'Wild'

Mr Cottle had been taking part in government-funded trials of the crop, owned by Aventis Crop Sciences Ltd.

The crops, and some conventional maize growing alongside it, would have been disposed of after the trial had finished.

The court heard that 100 or more protesters - who entered the 10-acre field at Birchenfield Farm waving flags and banners and blowing whistles - "went wild" and started breaking down the crop.

Police in an overhead helicopter made a film of the whole protest, which the jury were told they would be shown.

Security guards were unable to deal with the protest and police were called in, making several arrests.

The court heard between one and two and a half acres of the GM crop were destroyed and about a quarter of an acre of conventional crops.

The prosecution said it was difficult to quantify how much the damage was worth.

Judith Jordan, product development manager at Avensis, said any damage to crops before harvesting had a "deleterious effect" on the experiment, which was being conducted under EU directives.

Court protest

Earlier, up to 20 gathered on the court steps to show their support for the defendants.

The demonstrators represented groups ranging from Friends of the Earth and the Green Party to GM protest groups from as far afield as Hereford and Carmarthen.

Banners with anti-GM slogans were displayed by the participants. The defence is expected to call a number of expert witnesses, including two genetic scientists from the organisation Genewatch.

Wales MEP Jill Evans and environmental journalist George Monbiot will also be called.

Lawyers are expected to argue that the actions of the women were in the public interest.